Greeting the Thunder: A look at five diehard fans who waited for the team at the airport

June 23, 2012|Sarah Boswell, Oklahoman

When the Thunder got off the bus for their homecoming, the crowd erupted -- just like they have all season.

The team was greeted by an estimated 4,000 fans in an open field west of Will Rogers Airport just off Terminal Drive and Amelia Earhart Lane. Nobody dwelled on Thursday's loss to the Heat.

Instead, fans pushed at the metal fencing, and parents held their children on their shoulders. In his remarks, Coach Scott Brooks thanked the crowd.

"There's two thing that I'll remember about this team," he said. "One, they work very hard, and two, you guys cheer them just as hard. We thank you. We appreciate everything."

Here's a look at some of those fans who greeted the team:

All Landon Silcox wanted for his sixth birthday was to give one of the Thunder players a high five. For three hours, the first grader held up a poster with those words on it, and he was proud to read them to you if you asked.

Silcox and his mom, Ashley, were standing near the front of the crowd, but Thunder star Kevin Durant didn't see them as he walked toward the platform. He missed the chance to meet one of his biggest admirers.

But Silcox, wearing a new No. 35 jersey, said he wasn't too discouraged.

"That's OK. Maybe they'll win next year," he said, still holding the poster that was almost as tall as him.

His mother said she's still grateful to the team for being good role models.

"Just want to tell them that they did a great job, and we're very proud that they're in our city," she said.

Glenn Threatt

Glenn Threatt stood out in the crowd, and not because of any loud Thunder gear. Threatt is 6-foot-5 and was wearing jean overalls and a straw hat. He had a white handlebar mustache and sunglasses

"I grew up on a farm," he said. "I like to dress old-school."

Threatt is a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marine Corps. He's played basketball ever since middle school and even played some in the military. He said he's happy to have an NBA team to support in Oklahoma City.

"I like basketball. I [started watching] them this year," he said.

Threatt came to the homecoming event with his brother-in-law Hurlon Hamilton, who is a plumber in Spencer.

"We're here to support them," Hamilton said. "They played a good season and a good playoff."

Brittany Mosby

Brittany Mosby has seen the Thunder play at Chesapeake Arena. She's experienced the loud cheers and the rumble of the fans from Seat 18 in Section 325.

The season ticket holder said the team embodies the humility of people in Oklahoma.

"The Thunder [is] so humble," she said. "They have to work hard to get where they are, game by game, grinding it out."

Mosby, 26, works at JJ's Pizza Stop in Norman. That's where she was Thursday night as she was watching the game.

"Nobody lost faith until the final moments," she said.

She was working at the bar, and the patrons were cheering as if they were watching it at the arena.

Mosby has about a dozen Thunder shirts for each of the playoff games she's been to, and she even nabbed a signature James Harden beard shirt from Tree and Leaf before they were sold out.

"You've got to have a wide variety in your Thunder wardrobe," she said. "Everyday I'm Thunderin'.'"

The 13-year-old from Norman came to the airport with her friend Yazmeen Ryan, 13, and Erica Robinette, 22.

The girls sat with Max and Sadie in the grass away from the crowd of people pushing toward the stage to greet their team. They held up a sign with orange-and-blue lettering that read, "Thunder dogs love you."

Rosala Erwin

Rosala Erwin, 33, will soon welcome her daughter, Issibella, into the world following what she considers an exciting basketball season.

"They're still great, even though we lost," Erwin said. "We've always been fans. Having the Thunder builds us up more; the city needed them."

Erwin said she had an early contraction on the way to the airport.

"I'm pretty much ready for it," she said. "I would just be sad if I went into labor because I couldn't make it to see the team."

Erwin came to the event with her three children. She wore a T-shirt that read, "OKC Gonna Rumble." Her fourth child is due July 3.

Her son, Manuel Paramo, has never been to a game, but he said Durant is his favorite player. Paramo came to the airport wearing an oversized Thunder hat and carrying a basketball.